Cladissa coughs and spits out a mouthful of blood as she is healed enough to awaken. Her torso feels on fire as the reports of the multiple stab wounds finally reach her brain. She coughs again on the blood in her lungs and throat and instinctively targets herself with her regenerative hex. Slowly, her wounds begin to knit together.
Hearing the sounds of battle around her, she rises to her feet cautiously, hoping that the gray blobs around her are friends and not enemies.
As the assassin appears, Gianluca swings with great haste, attempting to take it down.
As his blade connects, a shower of honey-gold light rains down over Cladissa, healing her wounds.
_____________
The figure is cut down in a flurry of blows from the boys. As the corpse hits the floor, it becomes recognizable as a half-orc dressed as a scout or assassin.
That was Gianluca, she thinks as the healing from his Arshean battle prowess washes over her.
Cladissa coughs some more and spits, though she is beginning to feel much better. "Can we get out of here? I'd like to know with whom I'm interacting."
The thought of being an indistinguishable blob amongst other indistinguishable blobs, some of whom may still be enemies, has her on edge and panicky.
"Eliza is apparently not here. We should look for the erhamino stones that she mentioned. Maybe they are in that basin." Thrassk points to northernmost point in the chamber where a small stone column supporting a basin filled with a pale, translucent gas sits.
”Indeed. Check the orc for anything of use or clues as well.”
Argor then hovers over to check for the stones.
In the northernmost point in the chamber sits a small stone column supporting a basin filled with a pale, translucent gas. The bottom of the basin is carved with the Glyph of the Open Road. Sitting within the basin are half a dozen tiny crystals crudely chiseled into the vague likeness of humanoid figures.
Traditionally, they are crafted to provide individuals with a contingency for completing a task or an obligation after death, provided they have a mortal willing to act on their behalf.
Cladissa picks one of the crystals and examines it. "Very ancient relics. Souls are contained within these figurines, which can impart knowledge if they find a mortal willing to take on their burdens that they did not complete in life."
She looks at the others, wishing Eliza was here. "Just what are we getting involved with, if we use these things?"
The beast who is Grommesson calms down when the "invisible" assassin stops moving.
He follows Cladissa over to the basin. "Sounds interesting. It might give my life additional purpose."
Cladissa gives the shape who spoke a troubled glance, even though it was lost to the magic in the chamber. She supposed that was Grommesson, since no one else on her team lacked for purpose.
"All right; I'm just going to try it," she says with a heavy amount of trepidation. She sifts though the basin and finds a figure that looks female if she can. Steeling her mind against a psychic assault as best she could, she tosses the figure into the air.
Gianluca watches Cladissa and stands ready, in case any evil befalls her.
Argor will also take a stone and release it near his head, braced for any sort of potential mental assault that may occur.
The beast who is Grommesson follows his master and idol. He takes a stone and releases near his head.
The stones rise to float around the Pathfinder's heads. They orbit lazily about Argor and Cladissa, but nothing else happens.
With a shrug, the veiled figure who identified itself as Thrassk goes and picks up one of the stones as well. Looking around he takes in the portals lining the room, the shadowed alcoves, and then at the largest northern portal, near the stones' basin.
"What are all these runes?"
As her wounds heal and the disorientation of the rift-plus-attack begins to dissipate, Cladissa recalls Eliza's instructions.
"Eliza wanted us to try to identify possible allies in these other chambers. I'm going to try to make contact with my ioun stone."
She then thinks at it, using her experience with telepathy. ::Hello? I'm a Pathfinder agent here to defend Skyreach from an attempted coup. Can you point me to some allies?::
”These portals are tied to specific individuals, likely members of the Decemvirate or trusted Venture Captains across Golarion. We will likely be unable to put them to use,” Argor says, before adding ”Unless...unless the individuals they are bound to are perhaps the souls within these stones...”
As her wounds heal and the disorientation of the rift-plus-attack begins to dissipate, Cladissa recalls Eliza's instructions.
"Eliza wanted us to try to identify possible allies in these other chambers. I'm going to try to make contact with my ioun stone."
She then thinks at it, using her experience with telepathy. ::Hello? I'm a Pathfinder agent here to defend Skyreach from an attempted coup. Can you point me to some allies?::
::Adril Hestram has breached Skyreach! You must find Shemis and defend her. She is in grave danger. Ignore the lesser portals, go North.::
"My stone seems aware of Hestram's assault, and is encouraging me to go north and ignore the lesser portals. However, we were just attacked by someone lying in wait, as if we were expected. Could these stones have been similarly laid out as a trap?"
”Do we have a choice at this point? There seems but one road ahead of us. Gianluca, Grommesson, Thrassk, lead the way!”
He then takes a moment to replenish his arcane potential before using Wand of Haste as Adrenia uses the Wand of Good Hope, buffing the group.
Thrassk nods, and approaches the northernmost portal. It opens for him, leading into the next chamber.
In the center of this small circular chamber rises a pillar of pale white ether. Within the column twist the ghostly forms of thousands of silently screaming angels. Passages lead off to the left and right.
"Eerie," Cladissa observes.
::Which way?:: she asks the stone.
::We don't know. We are glorified keys to the door you just went through. All we know is that Hestram is inside, and that Shemis is in danger.::
::All right then. The old fashioned way it is,:: Cladissa thinks to the stone. Her spider legs extend out and starts tasting the air with their receptors, hoping to pick up a trail.
Someone might have come through the left not too long ago, but it's hard to say for sure, all scents are hours old at best.
::Most recent scents are to the left, but they're all old:: Cladissa broadcasts to the group telepathically, deciding that making as little noise as possible was advisable.
Thrassk advances a ways in the indicated direction. "Door on the left," he says before glancing around the right hand corner. "Obssservatory with corpsesss on the right."
Gianluca frowns. "Hrmmmm. I'm afraid we better check the corpses first.
"Would any of you recognize Shemis?"
The Honeyed Hand of Arshea leads the way into the observatory.
This room serves as an observatory for guests. Facing north, its broad windows allow viewers a stunning view of Absalom and the surrounding isle. The walls are decorated with framed maps of the Inner Sea, sky charts, and various instruments of astronomy and navigation.
Three dead Pathfnders lie strewn across the furniture, their throats slashed and their equipment stripped. They can't have been dead more than a couple of days. The blood is dried but there is no sign of rot.
Gianluca's frown deepens as he looks at the tragedy around him. "Arshea, may their souls find bliss in Nirvana.
"We'll want to come back and see to it that they get a proper burial...but for now let's make haste. The fact that these have been dead for more than a day is a bad sign, but there's at least a chance we'll still be able to find Shemis alive."
Cladissa's attention is torn between the stunning view of Absalom and the grisly scene of the murdered Pathfinders. She shakes her head of the conflict, reminding herself that she's been flying over Absalom for months now, so an aerial view of the city was hardly novel. She checks the corpses for any sort of clues, then follows Gianluca to the next chamber.
Argor hovers silently behind the others, taking in the scene. He is primarily focused on watching for signs of further ambush than the view, however.
”There will be time to take this all in later. Let us find Hestram.”
"Cole moves the fastest out of all of us. And he's the closest thing to Hrimnagel when it comes to stealth," Cladissa says, not sounding happy she's suggesting this. "These bodies have been dead for hours, possibly longer. I know haste is important, but not at the possibility of blundering into another ambush."
She looks at everyone's faces while Cole tilts his head inquisitively.
While the beast who is Grommesson obediently follows his master and idol, he thinks toward the spinning crystal around his head wondering what purpose the soul trapped inside must accomplish.
::Who are you?::
While the beast who is Grommesson obediently follows his master and idol, he thinks toward the spinning crystal around his head wondering what purpose the soul trapped inside must accomplish.
::Who are you?::
::I am Orven Pentagarst, former Pathfinder. Who are you?::
”We have no time to lose. Send Cole scouting one way while we proceed deeper in,” Argor says as he gestures for the warriors to lead the way further in.
::I'm Grommesson Blkros, Pathfinder Pentagarst. My father was a Pathfinder, and I travel with Pathfinders to save the Pathfinder leaders.
::Cladissa said that you had purpose in life that caused you to want to store your soul in this crystal. What was so important?::
The beast who is Grommesson stares glassy eyed, while he concentrates on the conversation in his head.
"Be careful. I'll be watching," she tells her familiar as she pops out the cat's eye stone from her crown and puts it in the little pouch around his neck.
He turns to spectral mist and flies noiselessly in the opposite direction, keeping low and to the shadows.
Gianluca nods and leads on to the right-hand passage.